Sealing or Expunging a Criminal Record in Florida

If you have been arrested in Florida, it is very likely you have a criminal record.  What if your Jacksonville criminal defense attorney was able to have your charges dropped?  It does not matter.  A Florida criminal background check will still indicate that you have been arrested for a crime.   If you are looking for a job, many job applications ask, “Have you ever been arrested for a crime?”  This is not the same as asking if you have ever been convicted of a crime.  No one wants a Florida criminal background that will follow him or her. You may be able to expunge your criminal record.  If you cannot expunge your record, you may be able to seal the criminal record. A Jacksonville Florida Attorney can help you remove an arrest and criminal charge from your background, so you can move on with your life.

Worried about your Florida criminal record? Call (904) 564-2525 for help from a Jacksonville lawyer.

When you seal or expunge your Florida criminal record, you are erasing the charges from your record.  The charges are no longer open to the public.  Sealing or Expunging your Florida criminal record prevents most potential employers from viewing your Florida criminal background.  Florida Statute Section 943.059 is used when you seal your criminal record.  With a Florida criminal record seal, the record still exists.  The agencies that have the record keep them, but they are private.  As a Jacksonville Criminal Lawyer, I have needed to look at cases that my clients have had sealed in Duval County.  I was not permitted to see the criminal record, although I had permission from my client.  In order to view the Duval County record, I had to petition the court and obtain an Order to open the Jacksonville case.  When I went to the courthouse to see the record, the Duval County Clerk of Court employee would not permit me to view the file that had been sealed.  It did not matter that I was a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer.  After seeing the Order that permitted access, she allowed me to view the sealed Florida criminal record, but I had to stay near her with the file.  This shows that once you seal your Jacksonville criminal background, only people that have a legal right to your file can access it.

When you expunge a Florida criminal record, this is even stronger than a record seal.  Florida Statute Section 943.0585 is the law used to expunge a record in Jacksonville and other cities. When you expunge your record, the court orders the destruction of your Florida criminal record.  Only the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will keep a copy of your Florida criminal record when it is expunged.  If a Jacksonville lawyer went to the Duval County courthouse to see your record, an Order opening the file would not release the information about the arrest.  Instead, the Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney would need to get any information about the Duval County record that has been expunged from the FDLE.

20 Miles Law is located in Jacksonville, but is able to seal and expunge criminal records across the State of Florida.  It does not matter if you have been arrested in Clay, Nassau, St. Johns, Duval, or any other county.  If you are interested in having a Florida criminal record sealed or expunged, contact a Jacksonville Criminal Lawyer.  Together, we can keep your record private.  Call 20 Miles Law at (904) 564-2525 or contact by email (click Contact Us).

Seal a Florida Criminal Record
Expunge a Florida Criminal Record

Can I Seal My Florida Criminal Record
Can I Expunge My Florida Criminal Record

Florida’s Procedure to Expunge a Criminal Record
Florida’s Procedure to Seal a Criminal Record